Vita Sidorkina Headed Out West for Her Third SI Swimsuit Feature

The model made her return to the magazine in 2020 after giving birth to her first child.

Vita Sidorkina was photographed by Ruven Afanador in Saratoga, Wyo. / Ruven Afanador/Sports Illustrated

This year, brand model Chanel Iman made her long-awaited return to the SI Swimsuit Issue. She gave birth to three kids since she last posed for the magazine in 2016, and returning to a magazine premised on celebrating women just felt right for the 33-year-old.

But she wasn’t the only model to make a return to the fold after giving birth. Back in 2020, Russian model Vita Sidorkina made the same move. The 30-year-old posed for two consecutive issues in 2017 and 2018 before giving birth to her first child, a daughter named Allegra, in November of the latter year. A new mom, she didn’t join SI Swimsuit for its 2019 issue, but in 2020, she made her return.

It was a meaningful moment for the brand, and it was just as important for Sidorkina, who traveled to Saratoga, Wyo., for a Western-themed feature.

“Every year the @si_swimsuit shootings are only getting better and the magazine message of inclusion is strong and loud. All the girls are real and open and free to be themselves,” she wrote on Instagram at the time. “It’s my 3rd year...and this is my comeback after my first baby! I’m so proud and honored to be part of the change to build a safer, more diverse environment and a better future for the industry and women as a whole.”

It was certainly a photo shoot for the books—and not simply because of the significance of the moment for the model. The photos were also impressive. Here are a few of our favorites.

Vita Sidorkina was photographed by Ruven Afanador in Saratoga, Wyo. Swimsuit by AEXAE. Necklace by Nativo Arts. / Ruven Afanador/Sports Illustrated

Vita Sidorkina was photographed by Ruven Afanador in Saratoga, Wyo. Swimsuit by Lauren Layne Swim. / Ruven Afanador/Sports Illustrated

Vita Sidorkina was photographed by Ruven Afanador in Saratoga, Wyo. Swimsuit by Haight. Hat by Lack of Color. / Ruven Afanador/Sports Illustrated